3 Places to visit in Port Elizabeth this festive season

Port Elizabeth is one of the more popular tourist destinations in South Africa. There are lots of places to visit in Port Elizabeth. The city is one of the oldest in South Africa and was founded in 1820. Nowadays, Port Elizabeth has a population of 1.3 million living in its metropolitan area. You can read more about this city in my 10 Things You Did Not Know About Port Elizabeth post.

The year is drawing to a close and I’d like to do my bit to help all the holiday goers out there. Today I’m highlighting 3 places to visit in Port Elizabeth this coming festive season. I trust that you find this tourist attraction list useful. Check out the list of places to visit below:

King’s Beach: This beach is one of South Africa’s most famous and safest beaches. King’s Beach boasts 2 km of white sand. The beach has voluntary lifesavers on duty at weekends during the summer and professionals during the week. There’s also plenty of public toilets and change rooms. Visitors can also make use of the paddling pools, kids playgrounds and fresh water pools. King’s Beach also has plenty of parking and beautiful gardens.

There’s also a mini golf course and a go-kart track within walking distance from King’s Beach. Visitors can also indulge themselves at the assortment of restaurants and visit the MacArthur’s Baths pool complex on the King’s Beach Promenade. The warm water of the Indian Ocean is ideal for swimming and body surfing. For more information about this attraction, visit the Nelson Mandela Bay Tourism website.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum: This museum was formerly known as the King George VI Art Gallery and first opened its doors to the public in 1956. The art museum consists of two buildings defining the entrance to St George’s Park cricket stadium.

The Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum houses a collection of South African art. An emphasis is set on the art of and from the Eastern Cape province, but there’s also British art, international printmaking and Oriental art on display – there are Indian miniatures and Chinese textiles (just to give you an idea).

There is limited space available so the permanent collection is on rotation. Because of this, the museum maintains a programme of temporary exhibitions of works traveling between the major art museums of the country. If you are a fan of art or museums, this is definitely worth checking out.

The museum is open on weekdays from 9 AM to 6 PM. The museum is closed Tuesday mornings, but is open Saturdays and Sundays from 1 PM to 5 PM, on public holidays from 2 PM to 5 PM and on the first Sunday of the month from 9 AM to 2 PM. For more info, visit the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum website.

Seaview Lion Park: This reserve is located +/- 30 kilometres West of Port Elizabeth’s city centre. It features 120 hectares of superb bush and grassland and offers the unique experience of close-up game-viewing. Visitors can view giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, impala, and 40 other species of wildlife in this wonderful reserve.

Besides this, you can also visit an enclosure that is home to 3 tigers and number of white lions (who are part of a special breeding program).You also have the chance to play with lion cubs varying in age from 4 – 9 months (depending on the age of the cubs at the time of your visit). Seaview Lion Park is open every day from 9 AM to 5 PM. They’re only closed on Christmas Day. It’s perfect for the whole family. Their game is easy to spot and often right next to the roadside. You can also watch as their big lions are being fed every Sunday at 12 Noon.

Entrance to the Park costs R55 for adults, R50 pensioners and card-carrying students and R25 for children of up to 18 years old. Toddlers that are two years old or younger can enter for free. Discounts can be arranged for large groups. If you pay R70 per person extra you can spend time with the young lion cubs or their servals. To handle a tiger cub will cost you R150 extra. For more information, visit the Seaview Lion Park website.

Which one of these 3 places to visit in Port Elizabeth is the one you’d like to visit the most? Leave a comment on this post and let me know what you think. Feedback is appreciated and welcome here.

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If you’re looking for a place to stay this coming festive season while you are on holiday, check out the holiday accommodation and timeshare categories on the Junk Mail website.